September 3 thru September 6 - The North Carolina Apple Festival - The festival is held annually, during the Labor Day weekend. The Apple Festival’s Street Fair covers 9 blocks of Main Street with more than 150 vendors . Main Street is closed to traffic from 6th Avenue to Caswell Street. Please leave your pets comfortably at home, Hendersonville City ordinance prohibits animals in the event area. http://www.ncapplefestival.org/September 5 - 1st Annual Organic Growers Festival - Labor Day Weekend- Sunday, September 5th 11am till 5pm. Vendors with organic grown produce, food, and other items. Entertainment daily and lots of fun for the entire family!
September 5 - Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Fest - The lineup: To be announced. The dates: Sunday, Sept. 5. The location: Downtown Asheville on Lexington Avenue. The cost: Free The crowd: This strictly local street fest draws a raucous, costumed crowd. Can you camp? No. More info at: http://www.arts2people.org/laaff.html
September 11 - Organicfest - Organicfest, one of the nation's largest regional organic festival, will celebrate National Organic Harvest month on Saturday, September 11th in Pack Square Park in downtown Asheville, North Carolina. Join the celebration of everything organic and green, now in its 10th year, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, please visit www.organicfest.org.
September 18 - Art in Autumn - The Weaverville Business Association is proud to present the annual Art in Autumn arts and crafts festival on Main Street in downtown Weaverville each September. Art in Autumn is a juried show which showcases the diverse range of cultural heritage of our region.
September 18 - Brewgrass Festival - Each year in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina, we gather over 30 American breweries to showcase more than 100 different beers. We add a great lineup of national and regional bluegrass musicians. We also feature a variety of area food vendors and plenty of water. Put all these things together and you have the ingredients for the perfect beer day.
September 24 thru September 26 - NOC Guest Appreciation Festival (GAF) - NOC's year-end festival comes once a year, so make your plan to stay for an entire weekend of fall paddling, prize winning, gear swapping and live music enjoying!
September 25 - 4th Annual Mill Around the Village Bluegrass Festival - The Mill Around the Village Bluegrass Festival’s purpose is to bring people together to support local businesses, demonstrate environmental responsibility, encourage an appreciation of our rich culture, draw attention to our historic Beacon Village in downtown Swannanoa, and, most importantly, enjoy the day! Past attendance has been about 1500 people as the festival continues to expand! No alcoholic beverages will be allowed. As usual, we are proud to be a “green” festival with almost complete recycling. As always, this happy event is free to all!
September 25 - Bakersville Creek Walk Arts Festival - Juried and national exhibitors will present their fine arts and craft along Cane Creek in beautiful and historic Bakersville, NC. Glass, jewelry, pottery, paintings, furniture, fiber, woodcraft and sculpture will be showcased along with food, music and silent auctions. Roan Mountain's best kept secret; just an hour away from Asheville, Boone, or Johnson City, TN. September 25th from 10am - 5pm
September 25 - Third Annual Hickory Nut Forest Eco-Community AppleFest - Apples. They’re not just for pies anymore! In addition to applesauce and butter, there is caramel apple bars, apple buttermilk bread, apple kugel, apple-cabbage ravioli with thyme, apple mulligatawny and so much more. To find fall apples for these creations, visitors and the community are invited to the Third Annual Hickory Nut Forest Eco-Community AppleFest on September 25, from 1-5 at on Rt. 74-A in Gerton/Bat Cave, NC. It is free and family-friendly event. For more information and directions to AppleFest visit www.HickoryNutForest.com or www.LaughingWatersNC.com or call John Myers at (828) 712-4926.
September 26 - A Day on the Farm - Music, Fishing, Archery, Lawn Games, Raffle, BBQ Weaverville, NC 828-645-5600
October 9 - Asheville Oktoberfest - The Asheville Downtown Association is excited to announce the return of Oktoberfest on Saturday, October 9 from 12-6pm on Wall Street. “We’re excited to bring Oktoberfest back to downtown Asheville. Last year’s event exceeded all of our expectations and was even named ‘Beer Bash of the Year’ by local blog, Ashvegas,” said event organizer Adrian Vassallo. For more information, please visit www.AshevilleDowntown.org.
October 14 thru October 17 - Fall LEAF Festival - Lake Eden Arts Festival (LEAF) is a non-profit organization established to build community and enrich lives through the arts, locally and globally, through festivals, events, mentoring, and educational programs. Occurring twice a year since 1995, Lake Eden Arts Festival, based in Black Mountain, North Carolina has established a reputation as being one of the best festivals in the southeast. The Washington Post recognized it in 2001 as, “The best cultural Mix and Match Festival in the nation”. The festival includes international and local music, handcrafts, dancing, cuisine, children's activities, outdoor adventures, drum circles, a zipline, canoeing, etc. The home of LEAF, Camp Rockmont, has an intriguing history. Prior to becoming a camp, in the 1940s it was the site of the historic Black Mountain College (BMC). Many of the century's most celebrated artists and thinkers attended the college as teachers or students: Albert Einstein, Robert Rauschenberg, Anni Albers, Merce Cunningham, Rothko and Buckminster Fuller (who designed the first geodesic dome there). Prior to BMC, in the early 1900s, Edwin Wiley Grove (of the Grove Park Inn and Grove Arcade) developed the land and constructed some buildings with his trademark native stone fireplaces. Prior to Grove, The Lake Eden Inn and Resort offered a getaway for people seeking its healing waters and rejuvenating air. The location also was home to the now defunct Black Mountain Music Festival.
October 16 - 3rd Annual Bizarre Bazaar - 10am-6pm- unique all day festival with crafts, food, entertainment! (828) 674-3067 http://www.7thavehvl.com/
October 16 - 22nd Annual Apple Harvest Festival - 22nd Annual Apple Harvest Festival set for October 16th in Downtown Waynesville, NC. The Apple Harvest Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, October 16, 2010 in Historic Downtown Waynesville. The annual festival, which celebrates the harvest season in Haywood County, features handmade arts and crafts, locally-grown apples and apple products for sale. In addition, the festival also includes food vendors of all types, educational and information booths, authentic mountain music and dance groups and a children's fun area. The Haywood County Apple Harvest Festival is presented by the Greater Haywood County Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Waynesville Association, the Haywood County Extension Service, and the Haywood County Apple Growers. Visit Haywood County year-round for a mountain get-a-way. Nestled between the Pisgah Forest and Great Smoky National Park, and surrounded by the Blue Ridge Parkway, visitors have many activities to choose from while they are here.
October 23 - NOCtoberfest - This fall festival features the 106-mile Tour de Nantahala Road Ride, live music, Bavarian-themed restaurant and beer specials and late-season sales.
October 29 thru October 31 - MoogFest 2010 - A new festival honoring the late electronic music inventor Bob Moog could bring huge crowds for three nights of big-name shows Oct. 29-31 at the Civic Center arena, Thomas Wolfe Auditorium and The Orange Peel club. http://www.moogfest.net/
November 1 thru November 14 - Asheville International Children's Film Festival - The AICFF is a family film festival with value affirming culturally diverse cinema. By using media as a tool to stimulate critical thinking, our goal is to promote intelligent dialogue through the introduction of inspiring stories, exhilarating adventures and pure cinematic joy. Festival events will include: An opening night gala, pancake breakfast, workshops, school field trip film experiences, Family Support Network of WNC film screenings.
November 5 thru January 1 - 27th Annual Candlelight Evenings at Biltmore Estate - As daylight fades into dusk, candlelight and firelight accent Biltmore House’s extravagant holiday décor, accented by live entertainment and outside illuminations. Biltmore House glows with holiday spirit, appearing much as it would have at the turn of the 19th century. Priceless treasures, from richly woven tapestries to antiques and rare artwork, glisten in the gentle light. Tunes from the Banquet Hall’s 1916 Skinner pipe organ and carols from choirs and ensembles fill the halls with festive sounds. Candlelight Christmas Evenings tickets are available by reservation only, and include an evening self-guided candlelight tour of Biltmore House, next-day visit to the gardens and Biltmore Winery. Advance reservations are required. For more information, please visit www.biltmore.com.
November 11 - Asheville Film Festival - The Asheville Film Festival welcomes filmmakers and film lovers to the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains to celebrate four days of independent film. Enjoy the artistry and variety of the festival’s competition film selection and high-profile spotlight films that have in previous years included Slumdog Millionaire, The Wrestler and Diving Bell & The Butterfly. Parties, networking, local talent showcases and educational seminars will also highlight the festival.
December 3 thru December 5 - Biltmore Village Dickens Festival - Located just outside of Biltmore Estate, historic Biltmore Village transforms into a quaint Victorian village on the first weekend of December. Horse-drawn carriages will trot along classically decorated cobblestone streets as carolers, storytellers and instrumentalists stroll the village in period costumes. Enjoy fresh-roasted chestnuts, live music performances and excerpts from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol performed by the Montford Park Players.
February 18 thru February 20 - 16th Annual Bluegrass First Class Festival - 16th Annual Bluegrass First Class Festival at the Crowne Plaza Resort Febraury 18-20, 2011. With some of the best bluegrass acts in the country rocking out all over the hotel. For tickets, log onto www.bluegrassfirstclass.com.
